1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a clamping support structure useful in simulating a necktie, and more particularly to a nested set of conical segments which capture the edges of variously colored fabric to simulate the appearance of a necktie knot of one selected texture and color that is then combined to appear as a knot forming part of a necktie comprising distinctly different textures and/or colors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A common appearance of one's attire, personal ornamentation, or most frequently a necktie, are often adopted as identifying symbols, or distinctive markings, by various groups like fraternal organizations, sororities, youth organizations, student groups attending a particular school, and the like, in order to quickly distinguish their members by a unique and highly visible symbol. While sometimes used as uniforms, distinctly marked, articles of clothing are prone to progress towards our functional needs, leaving this distinguishing task to the last non-functional item, a necktie, which few have learned to properly tie, and even when its knotting is learned, leave limited options for combining visible texture and color combinations that are contrasted right at the edges of the knot.
In the past various mechanisms have been proposed which in one way or another seek to assist those unfamiliar with in the forming of a proper necktie knot exemplified by the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,926 to Koy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,755 to Barylski, U.S. Pat. No. 6,094,746 to Miller, and others; illustrate structures that simply simulate a knot, as in U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,319 to Simon, U.S. Pat. No. 6,920,642 to Dickens, and others; or reform the necktie knot in a manner where it remains permanently tied while still allowing the necktie to be put on and removed, as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,737,917 to Orr. Each of the foregoing, while suitable for the purposes intended, provide little or no convenient facility to combine various colors and textures in a single necktie with the contrasting combination edges aligned right at the edges of the knot, to form a crisp delineation between the several colors and textures forming a symbolically distinctive article of clothing that emphasize the familiar shape of a necktie by its contrasting alignments.
A necktie knot shaped nested assembly that conveniently captures the edges of a cloth covering segment to create the appearance of a knot together with other fabric pieces shaped as the descending portion of the tie along with a neck strap is therefore extensively desired and it is one such assembly that is disclosed herein.